US sends supersonic bombers to Japan

The United States has sent B-1B supersonic bombers to Japan, one of its key allied partners in the western Pacific, to further strengthen stability in this strategically sensitive region.

Japan is within the "first island chain," which is part of the US naval strategy to limit Russia and China's military access to the Pacific, reports newsweek.

Japan also hosts the largest number of American soldiers outside the United States, which serves as a deterrent against nuclear-armed North Korea and other US adversaries.

The B-1B bomber, also known by the nickname Lancer, operates regularly in the western Pacific, where it conducts demonstrations of force with American allies and partners.

On Tuesday, two B-1B bombers participated in exercises with South Korean fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula.

The Lancer can carry the largest conventional payload of any US fighter, up to 34 kilograms of bombs and missiles, according to the official technical description. It has an intercontinental range and can fly at speeds of up to Mach 1.2, faster than sound.

This fleet is not currently equipped for nuclear missions, but its deployment comes after a display of Chinese H-6N bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, which were spotted in formation ahead of the announced military parade.

The US Pacific Air Force Command announced that two B-1B bombers landed at Misawa Air Base in Japan on Tuesday, arriving from their home base at Dyess Air Base in Texas. The mission was called Bomber Task Force 25-2. /Telegraph/